Arcades disappear into the streets,

is a global phenomenon.

But......

There is a generation of game enlightenment.

For the post-1980s, the first time they played games was in the game room, which was the "three rooms and one living room" (game room, video room, billiards room and song and dance hall) that was criticized countless times by public opinion that year.

However, among the larger population, they may become accustomed to another name: arcade halls.

Arcade machine is a special game machine placed in a public entertainment place, and the game it carries is called an arcade game.

"Street Fighter", which many people are familiar with, was once the "most beautiful boy" in the arcade in the 1990s.

Even now, when many people see a fighting match, they can't help but shout when a similar action appears: Aduhe, Haoyugen, Gagabuluga.

Yes, this is the foley of several classic characters in "Street Fighter" when they amplify their moves, and it is also the most commonly heard "slogan" on campus in that era.

What was the scene like at its peak?

The form of an arcade hall is no longer a franchise store.

In many stationery stores, small supermarkets, and even small shops in residential areas, you can often see one or two arcade machines, which are placed in the store or at the door, which are used as lucky cats to attract business and retain customers.

Passers-by, if they have nothing to do, may stand on the road, watch others "fight" in the virtual world, or instruct players who have repeatedly lost a mahjong game to play some cards.

According to some reports, according to the Ministry of Culture, by 2000, there were more than 10,000 video game halls in China.

However, there is still a lot of work.

After the 2000s, arcade halls were quickly overwhelmed by the fledgling Internet cafes.

It's not just arcades!

With the popularization of personal computers, smartphones and the Internet, online games, which are more convenient, more interactive and more profitable, are rapidly eating away at the share of arcades, consoles and even PC stand-alone games in the Chinese market.

Although, arcade halls can still be encountered on the streets today, and the roar of street fighter characters can be heard from time to time, but it is difficult to regain the "Fast and Furious" of the past.

Of course, that's not to say that no one plays arcade games anymore.

It's just that, thanks to the convenient arcade simulators, more people choose to play two in front of the computer when the nostalgic rush comes, and if they don't feel that the experience is strong enough, it would be good to spend some money on a joystick.

Is arcade really down?

Perhaps. In many discussions, arcades disappear from the streets as a global phenomenon.

Around the 1980s, it began to sweep the world, and arcade halls all over the streets and alleys and even in the corners of the arcade began to wait in line behind a popular arcade machine, and gradually after the 2000s, it became a city with a hall and often a deserted car in front of the door.

The data from the market also seems to provide corroboration.

According to the data, in 2004, the revenue of the arcade industry in the United States was only 860 million US dollars, compared with the total revenue of 8.9 billion US dollars in the arcade industry in the United States before the "Atari Impact" in 1983, one-tenth of it.

If inflation is taken into account, the gap is even greater.

South Korea's market data shows that there were more than 3,570 arcade halls in 1982, 8,369 in 1983, more than 30,000 in the early 1990s, and then a sharp decline from the 2000s to 3,398 in 2009, 1,765 in the second year, and 567 in 2014......

However, arcades aren't all in decline.

At least in Japan, it is still thriving.

In 2017, Japanese media reported that the country was expected to have 9,000 more gaming venues, each with a maximum of 50 arcade machines, which is more prosperous than the 44,000 arcade machines in the 1980s, when arcades were in their heyday.

Of course, this has a lot to do with the "gambling gameplay" behind Japanese arcades.

It's just that on a broader scale, arcades have actually shown signs of recovery in recent years.

Especially after the emergence of VR and AR technology, a variety of VR and AR game consoles have appeared in many large shopping malls......

Arcade, is it really in decline?

Perhaps, it is necessary to look at the history of arcade machines step by step.

Published in the "People's Post and Telegraph" on August 16, 2024, "Le Youji" column 410

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